50 Short Story Challenge
by Shoelace83
Summary: Well, need i say anymore? A collection of fifty one-shots- all under the Friendship or Romance genre. If you want to know what couples to expect, well, just read my profile. R&R? Much love for those who do.
1. YusukeKuwabara Homecoming

You people seriously have no idea how much I've fallen in LOVE with Yu Yu Hakusho. My fandom is larger than any fandom I've ever held before (yes, even Invader Zim and Star Fox). I'm excited to post a "Fifty Short Stories" challenge, and I really do hope you enjoy them. Most of these, as said earlier, will be Romance/Friendship. I want to keep them as light as possible, since this is my first time doing this, but maybe with a little more experience I'll pump it up a little. Maybe.

Critique? A comment on how I need to approve my grammar? A quick "please update"? A two novel long review on how I need to just pack my bags and leave Fanfiction? A review is a review, my good men. Review away.

Like most authors on fanfiction, I do not own the series I am writing a story on. Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me.

**Short Story #1: Homecoming.**

_Genre: Friendship._

_Pairing: Yusuke/Kuwabara._

_Scenerio: Now in his early thirties, Yusuke has come back to his hometown, which has a name that I am unsure of, after he left over ten years ago. His relationship with Keiko faltered and the death of his mother didn't help his sanity level. So he left without telling anybody, and now has come back to face Kuwabara for the first time since leaving._

_Song for inspiration: Hometown Glory by Adele. _

* * *

It was a small park. Smaller than Yusuke remembered. But in the bitter wintertime, most everything in the retired spirit detective's hometown seemed smaller than usual. He sat contently on a bench, a bench that had been in the park since it's opening, that was directly under the solitary shadow of a leave-barren tree. The sun was gently resting in it's place among a pale blue sky, burning brightly, yet Yusuke was tightening his heavy coat around his shoulders as much as he could. It was freezing- especially in the early morning.

Yusuke Urameshi couldn't remember the last time he had been to this park. Nor did he care too. He had left his hometown a good many years ago to pursue career in the big city. Yusuke was determined to let the city harden his already solid soul, and he made a promise to himself not to rely on anyone. He had grown and matured so much in that time; but even he had to admit he was still a playful child at heart. And coming back here- this town Yusuke once thought wretched- brought back innumerable memories. Some of these memories brought smiles to his face. Some brought pain. Some brought both.

Yusuke tried to count the years that had passed since he had boarded the next plane to Tokyo and left his childhood behind. It had to be well over ten years; Yusuke was in his early thirties now. He had celebrated his birthday a few months back, with a few co-workers. It wasn't the cliché "blow out the candles and make a wish" crap he had done as a kid. The boys took him out for beers and a few lady friends of his made him dinner. Nothing overly festive. He couldn't complain, but none of those people could compare to the friends he had back here.

Yusuke checked his wrist watch with tired eyes. _Maybe he isn't coming._ He thought with a sigh. With that he tossed his head back gently and looked upward. Clouds were starting to move in, and when they finally blocked the sun, he faced forward again and looked around. He was alone in this cold, unfurnished park- the unforgiving winter taking all of its furnishings and plants away. Yusuke could easily relate the situation to his life- with the park being his life and he being, well, himself. The Winter is just the course of events that have taken place throughout his thirty years of time among earth, and it had taken everything away that Yusuke once thought beautiful.

Yusuke remembered it like it was yesterday- he came back when he was eighteen, received a kiss from the girl he loved on the warm beach, and then was greeted by the rest of his friends. And in four years time, everything had crashed- Keiko and he stopped seeing eachother. His mother had died. Bullshit ensued and eventually Yusuke got in trouble with the law. Sick and tired of seeing the same town that took away everything from him, he left. He left without saying goodbye to anyone.

Just as he was about to rise from his place among the bench, he noticed a tall figure coming up the pathway- a brawny man with his hands deep in his pockets and his collar up to block his pale face from the cold. His skin clashed with his bright orange hair, and when he reached a certain place on the path he looked frantically around, facing Yusuke's direction multiple times. Yusuke chuckled lightly. The old boy didn't even recognize him.

"Good to see you again, old friend." The detective said with a smile. As if he had heard his name being called to win the lottery, Yusuke watched with a smile as the man in front of him turned to face him with wide eyes- Kuwabara had seen him sitting there, but he didn't believe it to be Yusuke. When he saw the man who had called out to him, a massive grin appeared on his old friend's face- a face Yusuke could have sworn hadn't changed in ten years.

"Urameshi!!" Kuwabara yelled with his typical deep voice. He dashed over to Yusuke, who was now standing to greet his friend. Yusuke was shocked to find himself in a deep, tight, painful hug, in which he replied by returning the hug with a slap in the back that could have broken Kuwabara's spine- a masculine gesture that said "it's good to see you, man." Knowing Kuwabara not to be an affectionate person, Yusuke was, for lack of a better term, flattered.

Kuwabara released the detective to grab his shoulders and look him straight in the eyes. "Where have you been, Urameshi?!"

Yusuke sighed and sat back down, gesturing for his old friend to do the same. "Man, I…" Yusuke struggled for the right words. It was hard to face Kuwabara after he had left abruptly without warning. But if anyone knew that Yusuke had a reason to leave, it was Kuwabara. Sitting slowly, his oldest and dearest friend continued to meet Yusuke's gaze. But Yusuke averted his gaze and looked downward, ashamed.

"Everything fell apart…" he sighed. Kuwabara looked downward too, because he knew. He, too, would have left. Yusuke just closed his eyes and hoped he could find, inside himself, a way to tell Kuwabara how he felt and how leaving, at the time, was the best option. "My life was a wreck."

Kuwabara sat in silence. Not out of disrespect, in any case. He just simply wanted Yusuke to continue.

Yusuke watched his own feet shuffle lightly."Mom… she…had it coming. She was a partying drunk with little self-respect." Kuwabara inhaled sharply to protest, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Yusuke was telling the truth.

"But Keiko…" still facing downward, the men both sighed simultaneously at the mention of the girl's name. And afterwards, Kuwabara decided to interrupt the detective.

"You loved her, Urameshi."

Yusuke buried his face in his hands and groaned. "She meant the world to you, and losing her was one of your the biggest fears." Yusuke could sense an accusing tone in his words, and that angered him. Kuwabara leaned in. "Right?"

Yusuke shot up and glared at his friend. "Of course! I was ruined when she left me!"

"I know. As I said-"

"I guess you share the opinion f everyone else in this town- Keiko can do no wrong. it's all that Urameshi kid's fault."

"…"

"Kuwabara, SHE left ME! There was nothing I could do to stop her! I did nothing wrong!"

"And then, to fix your problems, you left?"

At this, Yusuke was silenced.

"She still loved you, ya know." He looked upward, to find the answers to his friend's misery in the cloudy white sky. "She just felt trapped, as if every little thing she did had to make you happy. She was terrified of you getting hurt while you were spirit detective, but she tolerated it. And then she lived in even more fear after you came back. She was afraid this solemn life would bore you. And that you would leave her."

"That's absolutely ridiculous."

"Keiko's ridiculous," Kuwabara chuckled. "But she loved you."

"What a crazy bi-" Yusuke stopped himself and bit his bottom lip out of frustration.

"Does she know you came back?"

"She probably has yet to realize that I even left."

"Don't be an idiot, Urameshi."

Kuwabara checked his watch, and then slapped Yusuke on the back. "Im sick of sitting here. Let's take a walk."

"Fine, but I don't wanna talk about Keiko anymore."

"If you say so."

The two men then went to walk about the park, Yusuke at Kuwabara's left. About two minutes into their walk, the orange-headed brute spoke.

"So, where exactly did you go?"

Thankfully, a question Yusuke couldn't possibly give the wrong answer to. "The city. Tokyo." His words were quick and blunt. "I've got a pretty swell job down there… got some good friends."

Kuwabara nodded. "Mmhm." He took a left when they reached the exit to the park, and Yusuke mindlessly followed.

"It's like the city that never sleeps- and there are so many people." He continued, not knowing where he and his old friend were going, and not really caring either. "Takes a lot of giving used to, especially when I had been here."

Kuwabara chuckled lightly. "How did you celebrate your birthday?"

Yusuke stopped in his tracks to stare puzzled at Kuwabara. The auburn-haired man just returned his gaze with a confused look of his own. "Not to change the subject or anything…"

"Kuwabara… you remembered?" was all Yusuke could manage to say. His old friend just dropped his confused look and raised an eyebrow.

"Puh!" he spat, looking forward again and resuming his walk. Yusuke followed, but still couldn't wrap his mind around Kuwabara remembering his birthday after all these years. "As if I'd forget! Have you forgotten that I was your best mate back then, Urameshi?"

Yusuke looked rather sheepish then, because in all honesty, he couldn't remember Kuwabara's birthday.

They walked and talked for about half an hour. Their conversation included how Kurama had gone into a career of medicine, and how Hiei visited Yukina from time to time. Yusuke was just finishing up his description of how chaotic his office back at Tokyo was when Kuwabara turned on to a neighborhood street. The houses were about medium-sized, one to two stories, and ranged from white to beige to greenish beige. Yusuke was silent, looking around to see if he could recognize the street. He couldn't.

Kuwabara stopped in front of the fifth house on the left that they had passed, and it had decent amounts of greenery and a big white front door. It was the oldest house he had seen on the street, which wasn't very old, but it had a certain homely charm to it. Yusuke was a bit worried that this house had some significance that Kuwabara would never let him live down if he forgot, so he searched his brain for possibilities. It wasn't Kuwabara's old home, that was for sure. And it certainly wasn't the apartment Yusuke's mother had gotten after the house burnt down.

Noticing his friend's confusion, Kuwabara laughed. "Nice, eh?"

Yusuke responded with a nod. "Don't kill me, man, but I don't remember this place. At all."

Right then, Yusuke looked over to see Kuwabara's eyes sparkle. Yusuke had never seen Kuwabara look upon something with such modest, quiet pride. "It's _our_ house."

Yusuke, shocked, turned his full body to look at his past comrade. "Our?"

Kuwabara nodded, and looked downward with a smile. Yusuke continued to stare, with a heavy heart, at his old friend. "Our. As in me, and my family." Yusuke, frozen, did not move.

"Me and Shizuru bought this place a while after you left. Soon Yukina moved in to make it feel really at home." Kuwabara's eyes caught light as he looked forward again at his home, and moved forward to it and used his head to notify Yusuke that he was welcome to join him in his walk.

"This… is where I find peace. After a hard day at work, or simply a bad day in general, I come home to this place- where I can find my sister, and the love of my life. Two things that keep me going every day." Kuwabara just sighed softly and moved to stand in front of the front door. "You never had a place like this… a sanctuary, a home… did you, Urameshi?"

Yusuke, incapable of words, stuttered while his mouth trembled. Not only was Kuwabara actually making a speech that was soft toned and gentle, but he was also telling the truth. The retired Spirit Detective eventually gave up on a reply, and, not looking his old partner in the eye, shook his head sadly.

Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara stood in the space in front of the front door in silence. Yusuke had come home to see old friends again and maybe to see his hometown for one last time before moving back to the city forever. He had not come here to smile at Kuwabara's insanely happy and perfect life, and to pat him on the back and tell him that he had desperately wished to be like him. He had not come here to be informed that it wasn't this town that made Yusuke leave- It was Yusuke himself. Yusuke couldn't find happiness because he was to lazy to look for it. And, though he wished he didn't, he realized that now.

"Urameshi," Kuwabara said gently, putting a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know… I had planned some long speech for you, to, you know, convince you…"

Yusuke looked up to meet Kuwabara's gaze.

"…But I forgot it. So I might as well just ask."

Kuwabara cleared his throat and his eyes turned serious.

"I want to know… if…" he sighed, the seriousness slipping as he struggled to fight tears. "…you wanted this to be your home, too, Urameshi."

Yusuke did not reply to Kuwabara's question for a long time. Instead, he focused on an empty nest rocking back and forth in a tree limb, the wind threatening to throw it to the ground. He wondered if the family it once held would miss it when and if they returned. He sighed with bliss as he realized that the birds that the nest once housed would return fully grown and matured, and would build their own nest for their own family. Though he wasn't about to degrade himself and decide the baby bird was he and the mother was Kuwabara in his metaphor, he did decide that, for the time being, that this was a nest that another bird was inviting him into, and that he would be a fool to decline.

Yusuke then focused back on Kuwabara, whose solemn look of question was replaced with an offended one. "By GOD, man, answer me!"

Yusuke laughed loudly and genuinely for the first time in a while. Without word, he threw himself at his old partner, forcing him into a hug.

Kuwabara hesitated, and then awkwardly hugged back. "…Is that a yes?"

* * *

The End. :D

Please Review… and tell me if this was a bad place to stop. I appreciate honesty more than anyone on this site.

And if it was too long, I severely apologize. I don't plan on all of them to be this length. :/

For now, this is this. After a review or two, or five, if I need to rewrite I will. Thank yous.


	2. ShizuruBotan Point of View

Well, I would like to personally thank my one reviewer, cool shiwase, who encouraged me to continue with my fifty short stories challenge. So continue I shall. This one will be much, much shorter than the last one.

And I take all criticism like a man, so please don't hesitate to point out mistakes.

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, but it would be really nice if I did.

**Short Story #2: Point of View.**

_Genre: Romance/Friendship._

_Pairing: Shizuru/Sakyo, Shizuru/Botan._

_Scenario: it's a few months after Yusuke returned from the Makai, and he and his friends decide to take a summer vacation at a beach. The crew decides to go out partying one night and is shocked when Shizuru decides to stay behind to just chill out. _

_Song for Inspiration: Speeding Cars by Imogen Heap._

* * *

"Are you sure, sis?"

Shizuru held the phone loosely in between her ear and shoulder as an unlit cigarette dangled in between her index and middle finger. Her brother's voice was confused, which Shizuru imagined it would be after she had just declined an offer to go clubbing and party with her friends. Her crossed arms rested on the railing of the balcony, the ocean in front of her moving lazily among the shore.

"Yeah," she replied, reaching into her back pocket for a lighter. "I'm just kind of tired. I think I'll hang out here for awhile."

It wasn't as if she was lying to Kazuma- she really wasn't in the mood to go out at the moment, which was sort of a shock to her. Usually she would be the one to request that the group go out, and be the one leading the pack as they went off to drink and cause havoc among the town. But on that certain evening, Shizuru wasn't up for it. Not to mention that the view from the balcony of the girl's hotel room was absolutely gorgeous and not worth giving up to go babysit.

"It's just not like you…" was that a hint of worry in her brother's voice? Shizuru couldn't help but smile softly at her brother's concern. Sure, he was big, annoying, impatient and sometimes stupid, but the guy had a big heart and a soft spot for friends and family. And kittens.

"…Usually you would be the one to-"

"I know, I know." Shizuru interrupted her brother before he could finish telling her the obvious. "I'm alright, Kazuma. I just want some "me time". If that's alright with you." The last sentence was laced with sarcasm- both parties knew that Shizuru didn't give a damn if anyone had something against her choice of entertainment for the evening.

Kazuma sighed, and Shizuru heard the obnoxious voice of Urameshi in the background; "Is she not coming? Hell, what a shocker." She then heard Keiko's scolding and Yukina's giggling.

"I'll call you later, bro. Don't worry about me." Before her brother could get defensive and proclaim that he wasn't worried, she closed her cell phone shut and tossed it into a cushioned chair on the balcony. _Maybe a vacation wasn't a bad idea. _

Shortly after Yusuke came back, the group had decided to plan a summer vacation. With the "group" being Yusuke, Keiko, Kazuma, Yukina, Botan and Shizuru, there wasn't much to choose from that they all could agree on, so the beach was the best idea. Not much had changed between the friends. The only major differences were the engagement ring on Keiko's finger and the tidbit or two of maturity Yusuke had gained from being away.

_God, this is gorgeous. _Shizuru thought softly, bringing the cigarette to her lips and bringing her black lighter into view. After all this time the thing still worked like new, and she wondered how long it would be until the lighter grew old and no longer worked. She had planned on stowing it away after it's expiration, or maybe just carrying it around with her to keep the memory alive. But the flame was still bright and the lighter itself still had somewhat of a shiny texture. She tossed it around in her hand for awhile before sighing wistfully at the memories that came back to her- that gorgeous voice, that certain hairstyle, and that aura of wealth that blew her away when she was in his presence.

"Sakyo." She sighed his name, holding the lighter tightly in her palm. The only memory she had of the one man that meant any romantic significance to her was the black lighter that he had tossed to her moments before the building came crashing down, killing him. If Koenma hadn't held her back, she probably would have run straight for him, and the building would have killed her as well. She didn't want to replay the scene in her head, but how could she not? She really liked Sakyo, even if he was sick and twisted and probably psychologically challenged. Hell, he had saved her ass at least twice, which she was grateful for more than he ever knew.

_Sakyo!_

She would never admit it to God or anyone, but she was haunted by the few words he had ever said to her, and that simple smile he sported as the walls around him began to crash down and take his life. What if he had decided to live, to give one more try? Would he even want to leave with Shizuru? Probably not, but alive was better than dead. Or so Shizuru wanted to believe.

Shizuru Kuwabara was not a crier. At all. Yet she shed some heavy tears at the sight of Sakyo just before he met his death. She had promised herself that she would not cry for him ever again, because they were wasted tears and would bring no peace to her scarred heart. But she couldn't help but feel a sting of envy whenever she saw Keiko and Yusuke joyfully enjoying the other's company, or whenever they hugged or kissed or did whatever it was young couples did. Even her brother had a love now- a love that was completely oblivious. Still, Yukina was cute. And having her as an in-law would be nice, if she would actually become aware of Kazuma's love for her.

_Pfft. That's two things she doesn't know. _Shizuru thought coldly, inhaling sharply on her cigarette. _She has a boy that is completely in love her, and she has a brother. _She felt her teeth begin to grit, and her mouth felt pain. But still, it pissed her off that the dark-headed fire demon runt wouldn't just fess up. After all her searching, Yukina deserved to know by now. Damn that Hiei, the selfish bastard.

She took the cigarette from her mouth and exhaled to let off some steam. She really didn't hate Hiei, she just couldn't figure out why he wouldn't tell Yukina that he was her brother. He had stated his reasons before, but they mostly revolved around his background of crime. But Yukina was aware of his reputation, and didn't show resentment to him at all. Then again, Yukina didn't show resentment to anyone.

Hiei didn't show his face much anymore. Shizuru didn't know if that was because he was too tied up with Mukuro or if he feared discovery. She had seen him twice since Yusuke came back- once at Genkai's temple, whilst the other time she just saw a quick glance of him- a shadow moving among the night in the city around two in the morning. The first time she saw him, when he was at Genkai's, he was at Kurama's side, and didn't talk much at all unless it was a murmur or two to his red-headed partner.

Kurama, or Shuichi, as he mother and peers called him, was a mystery to Shizuru. He was gorgeous, charismatic and smart, and was quiet when he had nothing to say. But what Shizuru couldn't wrap her mind around was how someone so kind and soft-spoken could ever had been the "King of Thieves". She had seen his fox-demon alter ego before, and by god was he gorgeous, but it didn't look like Shuichi and it didn't feel like or sound like Shuichi. Was it true that two completely different people were actually mended into one, or was Kurama much more like Yoko Kurama then Shizuru had thought? It mystified her in many ways, but she chose just to enjoy the fox-demon's beauty while she still didn't know anything.

Before Shizuru could move on to a new subject, she was snapped back into reality by two arms wrapped around her shoulders, and a tiny blue head perched on her shoulder. "Wow, it's beautiful out here!"

Shizuru looked at the other woman for a second and then turned her head back to the ocean. "Yeah it is." was her vague reply.

"Why are you all alone, Shizuru?" Botan inquired in her usually peppy voice before retracting her arms and joining her friend at her side.

The much more mortal of the two just shrugged. "The rest of them went out clubbing. I decided to stay here."

Botan turned to look at her friend. "Doesn't sound like you at all. Are you alright?"

Shizuru chuckled. "I'm fine. I'm just…"

"Thinking." Botan finished her friend's sentence with a smile.

"Yeah."

"What about?"

"Well, everything."

"And what would 'everything' happen to include?"

"People."

"I see."

The two were silent for a while, but of course Botan was the one to break the silence.

"Well… are you done thinking?" she rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder sweetly, obviously bored and wanting some fun.

"Not really." Shizuru said with a smile. "I haven't gotten to you yet."

"Oh." Botan cuddled next to her best friend. "Well then we obviously are far from finished here."

Shizuru laughed in agreement. "I was thinking… about **him**, mostly, and about Yukina and my brother and Hiei and Kurama."

"Sakyo?"

Shizuru nodded.

"Why Hiei? I haven't seen him in a long time."

Shizuru shrugged. Her replies were wordless, but Botan still chatted on, continuing to cuddle next to Shizuru.

"How long does it take you to think about people? Yukina's cute, your brother is well, your brother, I mean come on…"

The taller girl just sighed. Botan was an understander, but not a listener. She decided to change the subject while Botan wasn't to deep into detail.

"Look," Shizuru began, "shouldn't you be out with the others?"

Botan giggled. "No, I was taking a nap. The awful smell of nicotine woke me up." With the last sentence, she shot a sarcastic glare of anger at Shizuru.

"Oh, shut up."

Botan laughed.

For being the Grim Reaper, Botan sure was a peppy little thing. Someone who was surrounded by death and ugly ogres every day some how was able to constantly be smiling. It fascinated Shizuru.

The brunette was caught off guard by a quick kiss to the cheek. "I'm off, then."

"Where are you going?" Shizuru couldn't help but notice the disappointment in her own voice.

"Catch up with the others. When you're done thinking, you can join us too."

Shizuru smiled. "You know what?" she said smiling, smushing her cigarette under her shoe. "Give me ten minutes. I'll go with you."

------------------

Rushed Ending. As usual. Im sorry, I cant help it. I just get soo excited when I finish something. Probably will be edited.

Kthnx.


	3. ShizuruBotan Morning After

I'll admit it- I've lately become OBSESSED with Shizuru/Botan. And I know this is the second short story for the pairing in the row, so I wont write on them in a while.

The winter storm down here in the south has given me off days from school, and therefore time to write. I'm having a blast.

I don't own Yu Yu, appreciate criticism, and hope you enjoy.

**Short Story 3: Morning After**

_Genre: Romance_

_Pairing: Shizuru/Botan._

_Scenario: A "morning after" ficlet. The night before, Shizuru and Botan had their "first time". Simple concept, simple fic. Just some fluff that we all need after a long school day. _

_Song for Inspiration: Melt by Rascal Flatts._

(-)

It's winter time. The temperature is below freezing outside, with a 87% chance of snow. There is still snow on the ground from days before, and icicles hang from dead trees. Big trucks fight to clear the roads of ice, so that they may be safe for drivers. Other than that, no one is outdoors.

Despite it being so cold, I stay warm in an apartment complex on the top floor, laying in bed, and nothing covers my body, except for a thick blanket with a heat control. The heat control is off. Around my waist are two long, feminine yet toned arms, holding tight to my naked torso.

Feeling her breath in my ear as she lies asleep is my lullaby, trying to make me fall back asleep. Nothing keeps us apart now that we're alone and in our own "personal Nirvana", a term I had heard people use out in the streets as they talked of being in love. We were skin to skin, protected only by a blanket and each other, which was all either of us needed.

The last thing I wanted was to wake her up, but I slowly turned to face her, her arms still anchoring me down by the waist. To no surprise, she stayed asleep, despite my change in position.

Light brown hair cascaded around her face and shoulders, and her lips parted slightly. She was already a beautiful creature, but she was the most lovely, in my opinion, when she slept or smiled. I softly swept away some hair out of her face so that I could get a better look at her, though I had seen her face a multitude of times before. I never got tired of it. I never got tired of her.

Unable to fight the urge any longer, I lassoed my arms around her waist much like she had mine and cuddled against her body, putting my ear to her heart. The constant _Ba-Bump _made my chest tighten as I just lay there and listened for a moment.

I felt her stir in my embrace, so I looked up at her to see her tired eyes looking downward at me.

"Did I wake you up?" I said quietly, rather taken aback at how small my voice was. She didn't reply with words, rather she allowed one arm to leave my waist to take my chin and lift it to her, so that she could give me my first kiss of the morning. It was wonderful, and warm.

"You sleep okay?" I inquired, gazing lazily into her eyes as we held each other.

"Yeah." she said groggily. "Dude, was I dreaming or did you really try to convince me to do it on the balcony last night?"

I laughed loudly, filling her bedroom with sound. "No." I said smiling. "I'm afraid you were dreaming, Shizuru."

She cursed disappointedly in reply and pulled me closer to her. I moved my arms from her waist to her shoulders and kissed her once more, which led to another kiss from her and then a loving shoulder kiss.

"You're warm." I whispered, burying my face into the crook of her neck. Her lips moved from my shoulder to to my ticklish spot right below my earlobe, where she playfully nipped and kissed while I squirmed and released high pitched giggles in her arms.

"Shizuru!" I exclaimed, laughing. "Stop! I just want to cuddle for a little while!"

The brunette did as I ordered and chuckled, and then kissed my neck once again. "I hope last night was what you expected."

"It was everything I had dreamed about and more." I replied, trying to keep this conversation on a calm level.

"You dreamed? Of me? And you?"

"You know what I meant!" I sensed my voice getting high and calmed it back down, remembering that I wanted this to be somber. "Though I will admit that until I met you, I never really thought that my first time would be with a girl."

Shizuru seemed to ignore the comment as she brought her hand to my hair, raking through it gently. It was one of the few times that my hair had been down, and It had gotten a lot longer then I remembered it being the last time I didn't have it up.

"I like it when you leave your hair down." she said, almost as if she had read my thoughts.

"I know."

"You did it just for me, right? Leave your hair down?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Shizuru. After we started kissing you had pulled the hair band out of my ponytail and threw it on the other side of the room." I peeked to see if I could find the vibrantly colored elastic on her floor somewhere, but because of my inability to move in her loving hug I didn't get much of a look.

"Oh, yeah." she said right before she inhaled a big yawn. She released it with a loud exclamation and I giggled. "Go back to sleep." I told her as I closed my own eyes.

"No way. You can, but I'm going to savor this while I can. No telling when diaper-breath will take you away from me again." she was referring, of course, to Koenma.

"He has other people that can do his dirty work for him." I told her, reassuring her that not even Lord Enma himself could drag me away from her this morning. "Besides, Koenma is powerful and has plenty of authority to do stuff himself."

"He wasn't looking so powerful when that officer shot him across the cave after Yusuke 'died'." I was starting to sense the slightest hint of envy in her voice.

"You weren't even there, Shizuru."

"Yeah, but I heard about it."

I just sighed and left the conversation at that. Not really one to enjoy silence I changed the subject.

"So… when was your first time?"

I kind of felt stupid after I had asked her such a thing, but I was rather curious.

"Sophomore year at high school. Only this was a dude."

"Oh dear."

"Tell me about it."

I had always suspected, even since I had first met her, that Shizuru was attracted to women. I wasn't stereotyping her by her appearance or masculine tendencies, but it was just something about the way she spoke to women and looked at women. Perhaps exploring the possibilities of having another woman attracted to me was an intriguing thing back then. Or perhaps it was what I wanted to believe was a suspicion, when it was really a string of hope that she returned my feelings that I had yet to surface.

It didn't matter though. Not at this point.

I whimpered sadly when she let one arm slip away from me to reach for her cell phone on the night table.

"Oh, be quiet. Can't you share me for five seconds?"

I sighed. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." she replied, grinning. "Sending out a mass text that I just fucked the Grim Reaper."

My face turned an insane shade of deep scarlet. "You… you're kidding right?"

Shizuru laughed until she was the same shade of red I was. "Of course! You're kind of a moron, huh?"

I didn't comment.

She checked her phone briefly for any messages or missed calls, and then put it back in it's original place on the night table. I smiled as her loving warmth returned once her arms were once again around me securely. Snuggling into her embrace, I felt her lips at my ear.

"Hey. Botan."

I looked upward at her. "Mm?"

Her expression was a dangerous mixture of nervousness, sadness, lust, contentment, and fatigue. Or maybe that amalgamation of conflicting emotions was just my imagination.

"Do me a favor."

I blinked. "Okay."

Shizuru sighed and kissed my nose. She didn't lift her face from mine and stared into my eyes as she told me of the "favor" that needed to be carried out.

"Would you… say what you said last night?"

I blushed an outrageous shade of scarlet, totally aware of which of the many combination of words she wanted to hear that I had said, whispered, and screamed the night before. She was talking about the last sentence to escape my lips before I fell asleep in her embrace. Just remembering the way that I had breathlessly blurted out the words made me blush in embarrassment.

"I… Love you." I said, blushing outrageously. My voice had cracked because of embarrassment, not shame, but I didn't want Shizuru to believe the latter. Instead of apologizing, I tried again. "I love you, Shizuru…"

She laughed that adorable, feminine yet hardy laugh that I had come to love so much. She then proceeded to kiss my lips softly and lovingly, holding on to me tighter then she had ever had before. "My adorable little Reaper…"

How a sentence could be both so cheesy and romantic was beyond me.

"I love you too, Botan." she whispered, her hand returning to rake in my hair. "I'll always love you."

I couldn't find anything to say. I had already said all it was that I felt it was necessary that she hear. The only thing I could have possibly thought of to say at that point was that I loved her again, but she already knew that.

We didn't need words after that. And after she had said those words to me, I didn't care if we ever spoke again. Just as long as she was with me.

0O0

Hope you guys enjoyed that one. I'm thinking that next fic will be HxK. Woo I'm so excited!

R&R please!


	4. HieiKurama Room for Change

At long last, My OTP comes to light. Definitely had a lot of fun with this one. This is dedicated to Lesfriendly, one of my two lovely reviewers who asked about the HxK portion. I hope she and my fellow HxK lovers enjoy this installment.

**Short Story 4: Room for Change**

_Genre: Romance_

_Pairing: Hiei/Kurama._

_Scenario: Kurama, years after leaving his demon life and committing fully to his human family, was kidnapped and beaten by a gang of humans hoping to keep him for ransom. Though Kurama won the fight with them, he is scarred and beaten in the aftermath. Coming to his aid is a reluctant Hiei, who plans on changing him for good so that such a thing will never happen again._

_Song for Inspiration: What About Now by Daughtry._

(-)

Three corpses lay limp and blood-soaked on the concrete floor of the dark top room in the two-story, abandoned brick building that now lay in near-ruins and covered in moss and vines, placed conveniently (for the thugs, at least) in the middle of the woods, far away from my home.

I had been trapped in this room for an unknown amount of hours, dreaming up strategies and cursing my luck. Jumping would have been my best option, had I not been tied up. I decided to use the vines to attack the person who would come into the room next, but my plan didn't go as I thought it would.

It had been years since I had gone into any sort of combat, demon or human. When the big, bald, club-bearing thug had walked through the crumbling door I thought that an immediate attack would be best. It was then I realized, to both my shock and disappointment, that my power was far from what it once was.

They wanted information from me. They wanted the names of my family members, the place where I lived, etcetera. The bastards were going to hold me for ransom.

I told him that I'd die before I gave him such information.

He gave a wicked grin and a "Suit yourself." before raring back with the club, ready to strike me dead.

A flash of black across the room, and the kidnapper was on his knees with a gushing wound across his torso. His scream of pain had brought the other two up to my holding room, but before they had even stepped through the door Hiei had untied me and I was on my feet.

"Don't fuck this up. And make it fast, I have things to do."

I smiled at him. "I'll do my best. For your information, it's been years since I've fought."

He groaned. "You _must _be joking."

"Hey!" called a brute standing at the bleeding man's side, with a furrowed brow and gritted teeth. "This ain't tea-time, ladies. If you came here to talk, runt, then you're in the wrong fuckin' place!" He was clearly holding back, fearful of earning the same fate as his friend.

Hiei just scoffed. "Kurama, the one on the left is yours."

I held back a laugh at the fact that Hiei had assigned the smaller one to me. I just nodded. "I'll take care of him."

_Or maybe not. My abilities are not what they used to be. But even if I do get hurt, you're here._

Hiei broke off to attack the bigger one, and without much effort had him bleeding and on the ground. Simultaneously, the smaller one charged for me, and I stood firm, ready to fight. But before he even had a chance to swing a punch, the one injured earlier pulled out a pistol, and, unknowing to me, aimed and shot.

"Kurama!"

He had gotten me barely on the side, where I was already scarred from where they had evidently beat me earlier. I sank to my knees as the man hovering above me laughed and struck me in the head with a heavy, foreign object.

I looked up, expecting another blow, but my ex-partner had literally sliced him in two, as the other two mangled men stared in shock, fear and disgust. I tried to stand, but he pushed me back down against the wall, ultimately protecting me from yet another gunshot. I cried out as I felt my entire body be flooded with pain, and squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't remember the last time I had hurt so much.

Within a minute, maybe two, Hiei had the other two kidnappers killed as well. I just sat against the wall, feeling blood and sweat trickle down my face.

He turned to look in my direction and angry pain filled his deep red eyes.

"You sicken me."

I chuckled weakly.

"I'm serious."

I sighed and pulled off of the wall. "I know."

_Trust me, I know._

"Fool." he scowled. "Do you not know your damn limits?"

I somewhat shocked myself when I laughed at his question. "Apparently not."

Hiei released an angry sound similar to that of a growl. "When you had told me that you had left your demon life behind completely, here I am thinking you were serious." He looked downward, narrowing his eyes out of discomfort. Or perhaps, by some miracle, that was sorrow. But then again, I couldn't get my hopes up.

"I almost didn't come. You… _were_ the great Yoko Kurama." Admittedly, the emphasis on the past tense verb made my heart hurt. "You didn't need any help with some measly pack of disguisting humans." Hiei was back to angry within seconds after the end of his sentence.

_I know you're angry with me. I know you're upset with me. _

"I hate to be proven wrong." he turned away from me fiercely, having seen enough. "Gods, what happened to you? What happened to what you used to be?"

_You wanted me to become as powerful as I once was, _

I just sat there, feeling the sting of his judgement.

_so that I could take care of myself without your help. _

"…Things change. I changed."

_And you were so close. But I left that life for the benefit of someone else._

_Because you couldn't leave until you were certain that I was going to be alright without you. I had found a way to bring Yoko back, and that gave you peace. That's all you wanted all along, isn't it? But now I've officially left that life. I'm just another weak human, by your standards._

"You worked so hard to get your power back." Hiei's voice had dropped to a calm level. "To just throw everything away like that is injustice to no one but yourself."

_And you. It's alright, you can say it. It's unfair to you, too. _

"Thank you." was, at the time, all I had the energy to say. "For helping me."

I started to get off of my knees, and then striking pain hit me on all sides. Ignoring my trembling limbs, I attempted to stand to no avail.

Before I could collapse onto the floor, Hiei flashed over to where I stood, catching me. I chuckled while he held me, helping me to my feet. "Why should I worry about power?" I said, noticing for the first time the weakness and pain in my own voice. "I have my knight in shining armor to save me wherever I go."

"Hn." To be honest I suspected a much more violent response. "Don't think I won't drop you."

I didn't laugh that time. Didn't have time to. Before I could give him a reply of any substance, he had swept me off my feet, into a "bridal-style" position, if you will, in his arms. I looked up at him and smiled. Hiei wasn't one for smiling, so he just glared back, daring me to carry on in my banter.

"You can't take me home like this." I told him as he walked towards the window of the building, holding a firm but careful grip on my back and the joint of my legs as I lay tired in his arms.

His turn to chuckle. "Who said I was taking you home?"

I looked up him, wide-eyed. "Where are you…"

_You're taking me with you. You're going to get what you want if it kills you, aren't you?_

"I convinced Mukuro to give you a room for the night in her castle. She said she would be glad to have you." The tone in his voice left no room for objection.

"But, I have to…" I tried to tell him that I had to get home to my mother, that I had work in the morning. That I had "human" things to do. But that would've just pissed him off. Not to mention that regardless of what I had to say or do, Hiei was going to take the opportunity he had laid before him and take me back to Demon World.

_Now that I'm weak, you can do as you please. Who's to say I wont try to escape and go back home once my strength returns?_

"I'll train you until you're back to normal… it may take years." He was clearly determined to get me back to where I once was. He reached the window and stepped onto the sill, looking out to the world below.

"To normal?" I asked, feeling drowsiness try to drag me down. "You mean, back when I was with Yomi?"

"Before then. Back before Yusuke. Before becoming human. Back before, you know, dying."

_I was damn sure what you meant. But you wont succeed._

"…That will never happen."

_And you're well aware of that. And yet, you're going to try anyway. _

Hiei looked downward at me once more. His eyes almost seemed to say 'Yeah, I know.' But that wasn't his reply.

"Sleep. We'll be at the castle soon."

_Admit it._

He tightened his grip on me and flew expertly off of the window onto the ground, where he took off in a sprint torwards the castle.

_There's deeper meaning to the actions you make. You cant fool me._

Within seconds of him leaving the crumbling building behind, I complied with his request and closed my eyes.

_You do this because you love me._

_0O0_

Aw, I worked my ass off on this and I really think it paid off. I love love love it, and I hope you did too. I think maybe next installment will be Kuwa/Yuki. Or maybe Yusuke and Koenma. Or maybe Yusuke and Keiko. I guess we'll just have to find out.

Thanks for Reading! :D


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